


Cashew Brittle #5

by Cecil_G_P



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: I hope, M/M, Romance, can i take a skillshare course on how to tag a fanfiction, it makes no sense but it has a ring to it so im keeping it bruh, short and sweet, the title is literally the name of a sees candy you get from an assortment box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 13:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13719108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cecil_G_P/pseuds/Cecil_G_P
Summary: This is just.... Juno and Peter being really gay. I don't know what else to tell you.





	Cashew Brittle #5

Juno thanked every ancient deity he didn’t believe in when the ship finally landed. It was his first trip to another planet and, despite not being able to feel any sort of travel sickness in the first class seats Peter had booked for them, the mere concept of hurtling through space made his stomach flip.

“Are you feeling alright, dear?” Peter helped him out of his seat, gripping his forearms lightly. Juno relished the contact, letting it ground him.

“Yeah. I think I can handle it.” He rose to his feet and stretched. Peter grabbed their carry on bags from the cubby.

Once outside they hailed a cab. While waiting Juno stared at the sky, it was clear blue as far as the eye could see. No dome, no grid, a genuine atmosphere.

Juno never thought he would see Earth.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Peter stepped closer to circle an arm around his waist. “Thousands of colonized planets and less than 30% of them are capable of sustaining life without a dome. And while some have been terraformed… nothing really comes close to the original.”

“....Yeah.”

It isn’t until dinner that either of them notice something odd.

They walk to the restaurant. Juno marvels at the weather. While it’s still chilly, it’s significantly warmer than Mars in early February. The sky is clear and the wind is light, but the air carries a hint of something strange and salty, and Juno can make out the faint sound of something crashing in the distance. Peter had already made reservations, and the restaurant he chose was understated, even humble by his usual standards. That is to say almost, but not quite, entirely too expensive for Juno’s standards.

“I can’t believe you took me somewhere that considers paper hearts an appropriate decoration.”

“Actually, I’m quite surprised myself. Last time I was here the decor was much more tasteful.”

The room is decked out in the heart shaped cutouts, glittery red garlands, and heart shaped chocolates. It looked like something Rita would come up with after watching one too many soaps at the office.

“Mr. Rose?” One of the hostesses step into Peter’s line of sight. “Your table is right this way.”

Juno gasps as he glimpses the main dining room. The far wall is a single pane of glass which offers a view of… of… Juno has to think for a second but it looks like water. Only the water extends as far a the eye can see on three sides, and on the fourth -where the wall meets a sandy ground- it crashes violently against rocks and sand, sending up a spray. This must have been the crashing he heard earlier. Juno’s seen rivers and canals and lakes of course, but none of them could have prepared him for this. For how the water looked as endless as the martian desert, how the setting sun glittered off it’s glassy surface creating the illusion of a glowing path, for the sound of a raw and natural force as it threw itself violently at the shore just as consistently as Juno threw himself at the fray of his own limitations.

Peter loops his arm through Juno’s elbow and tugs him along with a sidelong smile. They’re seated at a table just far enough from the window that they can’t see the drop.

“What do you think of it, dear?”

He turns to look at Peter, who’s all soft smiles and gentle nerves. “Holy. Shit.” He gives a tiny smile in return. Peter beams, finally able to relax now that he knows Juno isn’t too unnerved by the view.

“Hi folks! My name is Chianti and I’ll be your server for tonight! What can I get started for you, on this fine Valentines day?”

“What?” Peter and Juno both look to her, confused.

“Oh? You don’t know about Valentines day?”

“No.” Peter smiles at her. “I’m afraid we’re tourists. I didn’t hear anything about a holiday today?”

“Well, it’s not a capital H Holiday for sure, nobody gets the day off or anything, but it’s still very popular! Especially among tourists! You see, Valentine's day is a celebration of love in every form! Traditionally it’s celebrated by making paper hearts, decorating with and wearing the colors red and pink, and giving chocolates and roses to those who are special to you!” She winked at the end of her spiel.

“So… your decor?”

“All part of an ancient tradition!”

“A celebration of love! Juno, how wonderful!”

Of course Peter would be thrilled by this. Juno can’t believe he didn’t already know about it, given how the man had a hopeless romantic streak a mile long. But as embarrassing as the whole thing seemed, Juno couldn’t help but be happy if it made Peter happy.

They finished their dinner, as well as a heart shaped chocolate cake Peter insisted they share. ‘It’s tradition, Juno.’ Afterwards, Peter coaxed Juno into walking along the beach- only after promising they wouldn’t get too close to the water.

Crashing… shouldn’t be peaceful the way this was. The smell of salt is stronger here, carried along by the spray Juno can ever so slightly feel on his cheeks. They pass other partners on their walk, all of whom seem to be hand in hand, or gazing into each other’s eyes, or carrying flowers. Juno bravely acquises to joining Peter on a nearby pier that stretches out perilously over the water. Peter takes the side closer to the edge, less queasy about the drop, and despite the sound and the wind and the spray, the pier is surprisingly stable. If he closes his eyes Juno can almost forget the height.

He doesn’t close his eyes much though. It’s beautiful out here, if a little cold. They sit on a bench near the edge of the pier and when Juno notices Peter’s sitting with his arms crossed and his sweater buttoned so it hides the lace of his dress. Anyone else would think that he looks relaxed, but Juno rolls his eyes and pulls his jacket around Peter until they're both wrapped up together.  Peter presses himself up to Juno’s side, cheek on his hair, and sighs, content. Juno wonders vaguely if he underdressed on purpose  to ensure this would happen, but he shakes it off. If it were intentional, Peter would never risk actually ending up cold, he would say something up front. And his outfit was definitely not designed for practicality tonight.

There’s a group of teenagrers sitting pressed up against the safety railing, legs dangling over the edge like Juno could never imagine doing. They laugh together and share little pastel candy hearts that he’s never seen before. It reminds him of his own high school days. Being dumb teens and dumb -but good- friends. He almost gives into the bittersweet memories at the edge of his consciousness. Before it can overwhelm him, he feels Peter pressing kisses into his neck. Their makeshift blanket falls in a heap beside them.

 

They catch a cab back to the hotel.

Juno wakes up hours later. The quiet of the room is comforting and he cuddles closer to Peter, it’s a rare sight to see him in disarray like this. Hair wild and makeup smeared, purple lipstick marks, and purple not lipstick marks trail down his neck, chest, and thighs. He looks to the clock. It’s a little after three AM and Juno wonders if it still counts as valentines day. He looks back to Peter. Beautiful, gorgeous, sweet, warm, kind Peter. And thinks back to another day, another hotel room, with another bed. As the pang of that memory fades, all he is left with is conviction.  He’ll have to be back before he wakes.

So he presses another fading purple kiss to Peter’s inner wrist -out of place, where he knows Peter will see it- and dresses quietly, slipping out of the room.

Most shops here are closed this time of night. Nothing ever seems to stop in Hyperion City,  but here people pay more attention to trivial little things like night and day. Eventually he finds an open store. He makes his purchases as quickly as possible and hurries back.

Juno slips silently back into the room,  feeling the way he imagines Peter must after a successful heist.  All that comes to a halt when he hears a brittle whisper.

“Juno?”

He turns back to the bed, where Peter clicks the light on. Juno’s eyes stare into Peter’s, which look shocked and fragile. Peter’s drift from Juno’s face to the large heart shaped box and bouquet of roses in his hands.

“Uhhhh, happy valentines day?”

Peter looks shocked for a moment until he finally cracks a smile. He starts to laugh, even if its a little ragged. Juno moves to sit on the bed, dropping the gifts in Peter’s lap, and runs a hand through the thief's hair.

“Sorry. I thought I’d be back before you’d wake up.”

“You could've left a note.” Peter reached up to put a hand over Juno’s which he moves to cover Peter’s cheek. With his other hand Juno grabs Peter’s free one and turns it up to reveal the kiss mark.

“I thought this would suffice.”

Peter snorts. “I’ll make a romantic out of you yet.” They share another searching look, but the previous tension is gone,  replaced with a tenderness Juno’s only beginning to name.

“So, brave detective, what kinds of chocolates did you get me?”     

Juno frowns at that. “It’s… an assortment? But they wouldn’t tell me which chocolate is which. The guesswork seems to be another part of the tradition.”

He chuckles at that. “Then let’s find out together shall we?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my pal Chance for being a beta on this!!!!!!! Without them you all would be subject to my inability to remember what tense I'm using.  
> You get 10 extra points if you recognize the h2g2 quote. What are the points for? I'll let you know if I figure it out.  
> Sorry this is like a week late for valentines day, I'm a fundamentally semi-functional human being.


End file.
